Sometimes I feel like Arceus secretly hates me.

I’m 17 years old, and I’m already at my lowest in life. I’ve prayed to Arceus everyday for one thing. Just one thing. To have my own Pokemon. 

I could probably live without a boyfriend, money, or friends. But I’m sick of living life without a Pokemon partner. 

If I had just one Pokemon by my side, I could die happily.

The only problem is that I’m a terrible Pokemon trainer. 

Well, I shouldn’t really call myself a trainer since I don’t have a Pokemon. I enrolled in the stupid Trainer’s Academy like everyone else. It used to be fun until my former best friend became a snotty backstabbing b**** and I flunked in almost every subject at school.

That is why I’m back in little ol’ Littleroot in a deep wad of depression, anger, and anxiety. It really isn’t fair that a prick like him gets to have a Pokemon. 

My train of thought stops once I fall face-first on the ground. I groan, slowly getting up and wiping the dirt from my hair. 

I notice I must have kicked my soccer ball too hard, and that’s why I fell. I look around the area to see where my ball is now. My body instantly freezes when I see it peeking out from a patch of fall grass. 

Shit. This is bad.

I know Mom and Dad told me to never go into tall grass if I don’t have a Pokemon with me.

But I doubt something bad is going to happen if I just grab my ball right away.

With this in mind, I rush over and stomp all over the grass. I’m almost about to get it.

It turns out I underestimated the gravity of my parent’s words when a trio of Taillow leapt out of the bushes and began pecking me with their sharp beaks. I cry in terror as I roll like a Sandshrew, covering my face so that they wouldn’t poke my eyes out. 

Okay yeah. The ball definitely wasn’t worth it.

I endure their attack for several minutes. I continue to scream at the top of my lungs for someone to help me. Feeling faint from the blood loss, my eyes start to slacken. But I’m jolted back to reality when I suddenly hear someone’s voice.

“Skarmory! Steel wing!” 

After listening to some shrieks, the Taillow finally give up their assault. I hear them fly away. The ground shakes slightly as footsteps become louder. A warm hand rests upon my back, massaging small circles.

“It’s okay. They’re gone now,” the voice gently says. 

It takes me a few seconds until I finally look up and see a young man staring at me. 

Scratch that. An extremely handsome young man. He’s hot and icy as hell.

I’m interrupted from basking in his beauty when he moves closer to me. 

“Oh goodness gracious,” he says.

Of course someone as hot and fancy like him would say something like goodness gracious.

The handsome stranger squats down, lifts my arm up, and frowns when he sees cuts and gashes of blood on my skin. I wince not only because of the pain but also at how stupid I was for putting myself in danger like that.

“My, my. Those Taillow really did a number on you. What happened to your Pokemon?” he asks.

I blush, drooping my head down in shame. “I don’t have any Pokemon.”  

The young man’s eyes widen in shock as if he’s never heard that sentence in his life. Now I use this opportunity to study the young man’s appearance.

He has silver hair along with a set of steely eyes that are perfect for his complexion. I look down slightly and admire his fancy black and purple suit. Just by the way that his hair is done, anyone can easily tell that he’s made of money.

“Why don’t you have any Pokemon? I thought most people would want to become Pokemon trainers.”

I bite the inside of my mouth as my face reddens even more. I can tell he’s amused by my reaction because he smirks and sits beside me.

“I flunked out of the Trainer’s Academy. I suck at school. I was supposed to pass the final exam in order to receive my first Pokemon. But I did horribly these past two years. Right now, I’m taking a break from school but I’m going back again next semester. I’m getting kinda old to go there now though.”

“You have to pass an exam in order to receive a Pokemon now? How preposterous.”

“I know right!” I say in agreement. Even though I had no idea what preposterous means.

I only met this guy today, but something about him makes me want to spill my guts. I continue talking.

“I just want to get a Pokemon partner. They’re so cool. I would travel the world with them. Maybe I’ll even try out the gym challenge. But I’ll never get there if I don’t pass that stupid graduation exam. It’s not like I don’t study for it. They make it harder every year. And we learn about Pokemon and culture from other regions. It can be helpful, but it’s not like I’m going to be visiting the other regions any time soon.”

“Is this why I found you in the tall grass earlier? Were you trying to catch a Pokemon?” he assumes. 

This man looks like he’s serious as heck, but I could tell that he’s holding back his laughter.

I glare at him. “No. I went there to get my soccer ball. I was only going to be there for a minute, but well, you know what happened.”

“I see,” he comments. “Unfortunately, your soccer ball is no longer usable. I believe those Taillow attacked you because they must have thought your soccer ball was food and that you were trying to steal it from them. One of them flew off with your deflated ball earlier.”

“What!?” I exclaim. “That thing is too big to be mistaken for food!”

He laughs at my statement. “It is indeed. You can always get another one. Or would you rather get a Pokemon instead?”

“A Pokemon?” I repeat. 

I can feel my face flush in excitement as thoughts of having my own Pokemon swirl through my mind. I can already imagine myself running through the grass bravely and sending out a Pokemon to battle whoever blocks my path. Maybe I can be as great as Dad or even like the mysterious Pokemon champion.

“I suppose there’s no time to waste,” the young man says. “We must also get you medical attention.”

He stands up, extending a hand to me. I grab onto his hand and try to stand on my own too, but my legs give out as more of my cuts open. The man is quick to catch me before I fall and easily hoists me into his arms in order to carry me bridal-style. He immediately starts walking toward Littleroot Town. 

“Um, I could still walk. It hurts like hell, but I . . . I could walk,” I say.

Honestly, I don’t mind him carrying me. It’s not everyday I’m being carried by a handsome stranger like him.

“Doubtful,” he replies. “Please don’t fret. I’m going to take you to Professor Birch’s lab. He has a medical facility for Pokemon, but he should also have a first-aid kit for humans. It’s also very convenient for me because I was on my way there too.”

I nearly gag when I hear him say Professor Birch. 

“Wait!” I yell.

The man stops and looks at me in concern. “What is the matter?”

“I can’t go to Professor Birch’s lab. He’s a nice man, but I-I just can’t. I can’t go. I’m sorry.”

He closes his eyes for about a minute before turning to me. “Very well. I understand. I will respect your plea, but I still cannot ignore your condition. I will escort you to the hospital in Rustboro.”

“What!?” I say. “That’s almost as bad! Hospitals are expensive! I can’t afford that! Even with insurance!”

The young man laughs and looks behind him. I forgot his Skarmory is still with us. 

“Skarmory! Let’s take to the skies!” the man yells.

His Skarmory crows out in response and lifts the two of us into the air. The young man holds onto me tightly as he focuses on steering, making sure we don’t crash into other bird Pokemon.

As amazing as my first time riding a Pokemon is, I still need to avoid going to the hospital.

“Hey!” I try again. “Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? I can’t afford to go to the hospital.”

“I’ve heard you loud and clear. Please don’t worry. I will pay for all of your medical expenses and follow-up treatments,” he says.

Oh wow. So he really is rich.

“You’re kidding right? Who are you? Are you some rich guy that sponsors Professor Birch’s lab? I’ve never seen you around here before.”

“I wouldn’t attest that I’m a sponsor. I’m more of a researcher myself. Professor Birch has uncovered some Ampharosite which he promised to give me, along with his case study.”

I only blink blankly a few times at him while trying to register what he just said. 

“What’s Ampharosite? Are you talking about the Pokemon Ampharos?” I say tentatively.

He smiles when I guess correctly. “Yes. Ampharosite is actually a special stone that allows Ampharos to evolve even further. It even makes Ampharos a Dragon-type once it’s utilized. Special stones like those are part of the new phenomenon called Mega Evolution. I’ve also heard of Charizardite which also allows Charizard to evolve.”

“That’s really cool! I’ve never heard of that before. What’s the newest form of Ampharos called then?”

“Well, here’s the thing. Ampharos would still be Ampharos. The mega evolution is only a temporary evolution. It was first discovered in the Kalos region recently, and not many people know about it.”

His Skarmory cries out which causes the two of us to look down below. I see the hospital coming into view now, and Skarmory slows his descent toward the Emergency department.

“As much as I enjoyed our conversation, we must get your wounds treated sweetheart.”

Thanks for reading Red Silver Hearts!

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Disclaimer: The image above is only used to help the reader visualize what the chapter is about.

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